Far away, in Ravenheart, a woman with beautiful emerald eyes was standing on a stone platform, hiding from the falling ash under an elegant umbrella. The lower part of her face was protected from the wind by a fluffy scarf, and she was wearing an exquisitely embroidered dress under a fashionable coat.
The woman was looking down at her dainty shoes with regret. The soft leather was already covered in soot, and the silver buckles had lost their shine.
She sighed.
"Ah. I really hate this place."
All around her, the city was boiling with life. Ravenheart had expanded greatly in the last year, spilling over the slopes of the volcano like a stone forest. The settlement on the great bridge had grown, as well — in fact, the length of the bridge was not enough to house every Awakened anymore, so there were enormous platforms hanging from it like terraces, with their own streets, buildings, gardens, and parks.
